Get Where Are My Paws as a BONUS gift!
This is How You Train The Dog Walk Faster & With Fewer Repetitions.
While boosting your dog's confidence and making the dog walk SAFER for your dog!
BEYOND DOG SPORTS:
DOG WALK
Online course for dog agility enthusiasts
By Mari Valgma, CPCFT
As a dog agility enthusiast you know that training the dog walk can take a long time.
Not only that, it can be a real challenge if your dog is scared of heights, doesn't feel confident on the dog walk, or is regularly misplacing feet and falling off.
Chances are, you are feeling worried about your dog injuring himself, and maybe even frustrated about your progress being so slow.
It's nothing like the “2-months-to-running-contacts” Wonder-Pups you see on social media!
You’ve probably tried doing some extra exercises like backing up or turning on the dog walk, to get your dog more confident on the dog walk, placing the paws with more precision and awareness. But with very little success, if any.
And most likely you keep hearing advice like “You just need more repetitions on the dog walk”. Leaving you wondering if your dog will ever get there?
The costly mistake to avoid 👇
But here’s the thing. When training the dog walk, most struggling dog walk enthusiasts make the costly mistake of focusing only on training the contact zone.
Then, when adding a low plank or dog walk to your training sessions, your dog is suddenly expected to move on a narrow plank, adjust the gait and stop or hit the contact area, running.
Your dog has to MULTITASK and learn how to move on a narrow (and high!) plank while also trying to hit the contact zone!
That's called LUMPING.
It’s like patting your head with your right hand, doing clockwise circles on your tummy with your left hand… while also saying the alphabet backwards.
That’s a lot going on at the same time!
There are dogs who are able to learn how to move on a narrow surface while also hitting the contact area.
But if you see your dog struggling, feeling insecure, misplacing paws…
Then this multitasking is not working for him.
In fact, it may start creating a number of bigger PROBLEMS:
- Slow learning because your dog is trying to stay safe on a narrow surface and can’t focus on the exercise criteria or hitting the contact zone
- High risk of injuries, as your dog doesn’t know how to stay safe while running on a narrow surface. Starting with broken toes from feet stepping off to the side and going as far as career ending spinal injuries!
- Fear of running on the dog walk - not knowing how to move on a narrow surface may make your dog careful (she doesn’t want to fall!) and slow. It may be safer than reckless running, but it’s coming from a place of fear.
- Damaging your relationship because what you are asking is too difficult for your dog, he’s not comfortable doing it. If your dog is reckless, doing the dog walk often ends with discomfort of misplacing a paw, losing balance or even falls!
Would YOU like to train with a coach whose exercises make you uncomfortable and fail over and over again?
Your dog may be motivated enough to push through… But that's not how you want to train, RIGHT?!
If you are here, then most likely your dog is either super careful and slow on the dog walk, or reckless and often misplacing paws.
Or maybe you just want to make the dog walk a safer place for your dog…
Welcome! You’re in the right place 😊
Training the dog walk with a dog who is scared of it or is just running recklessly, can be a lonely journey.
If you are like most of my students, you’ve already tried making the dog walk a happier and safer place for your dog.
But there really isn’t much information available and most of the advice seems to be along the lines of “Just train more, your dog will learn eventually.”
I’m here to tell you that THERE IS A BETTER WAY FOR TRAINING THE DOG WALK - especially the moving on a narrow, high surface part.
The part that tends to be dangerous and scary for many dogs.
You and your dog are not alone!
Here's the thing... Your dog is just missing some skills for moving on the dog walk!
While running on the dog walk seems like an easy task, it's actually a complex behavior that requires a combination of skills from your dog.
In fact, most dogs who are struggling on the dog walk are missing one or more of these essential skills:
- Knowing exactly where his feet are on the dog walk and how much space he has for placing his feet without stepping off to the side - also known as BODY AWARENESS
- Maintaining his balance and straight movement trajectory even when the forces from a turn or handler pressure are pushing him sideways on the dog walk - also known as BALANCE
- Adjusting his gait to hit the contact zone while running and balancing on a narrow surface - also known as COORDINATION
And here's what you need to know:
If your dog is missing ANY OF THESE THREE SKILLS,
then your reckless dog won't be able to run the dog walk safely, without misplacing paws or losing balance as soon as the course setup is less than perfect.
Not only that, if your dog doesn't know how much space she has, where are her paws at any given moment and how to control her own balance, then your careful dog will be moving slowly and cautiously, just to keep her safe.
Missing ANY of these skills means that your dog has a higher risk of falling of and getting injured.
Your dog won't be able to run the dog walk confidently. Your training will progress slower. Your relationship with your dog will suffer.
And you may never get that worry-free, confident, fast and precise dog walk performance.
Body awareness, balance and coordination are transferable skills, meaning that if you teach them away from the dog walk… they will transfer to your dog’s dog walk performance!
I am a firm believer that if you can teach dog walk skills in a safer setup, then you should do it.
What about you?
Which one of these benefits would you like to get?
If you choose to teach dog walk skills in a safer setup, then there are some juicy benefits waiting for you on the other side:
- Learning to train the dog walk faster, with fewer repetitions - doing this work won’t slow down your training progress, it’s the opposite and you’ll be surprised how quickly your dog will be able to learn new things when the foundation skills are there!
- Improved balance and coordination in general, not just on the dog walk, making agility safer for your dog
- Lower risk of injuries (that's a big one!!!) on the dog walk - because your dog KNOWS how to keep herself safe WHILE running fast
- You dog will feel more comfortable in his body, control movements better and get a feeling "I can do this!". That's empowering and a huge confidence boost!
- You will know your dog better, what he finds challenging and how he prefers to move in difficult situations. This leads to greater understanding, better training choices and better relationship with your dog.
You may be doing some fitness training already, working on your dog's body awareness, balance and coordination. Leaving you wondering...
"Hang on... My dog is already doing fitness training, but I see no improvement on the dog walk?"
Doing canine fitness training is the perfect starting block and gives a great foundation to your dog. But if you are not seeing results in real life then most likely you're still missing some crucial ingredients:
- Exercise setup isn't specific to the challenges your dog is having on the dog walk
- The skills haven't been generalized to different situations and environments
- There isn't enough movement during the exercises and your dog has no idea how to coordinate her movements and balance while actually running
If the exercises are not targeting the specific challenges your dog is facing on the dog walk, you are not generalizing the skills to different situations or there isn't enough focus on movement during the exercises...
Then these fitness exercises are not going to help your dog to run the dog walk with precision, balance and confidence.
You'll have to make sure to include specificity, generalization and movement into your dog's fitness program.
Hey, I'm Mari Valgma
I am a Certified Professional Canine Fitness Trainer, helping dedicated sport and working dog owners train their dogs to move with balance, precision and awareness.
My passion is to help you achieve training goals faster, without overloading your dog’s body with repetitions or placing your dog in dangerous situations over and over again.
Every single work or sport challenge can be broken into smaller, transferable skills that can be taught away from the work environment.
While it may sound like a longer route - it really isn’t. You’d be surprised how much faster your dog can learn complex tasks when physical skills like body awareness, balance and coordination skills are in place!
After working with more than 500 dogs over 5 years, I found traditional canine fitness training often lacking the elements that link the fitness exercises to real life challenges. Elements like movement - your dog is rarely still when doing the sport!
Hundreds of hours of brainstorming, researching and testing resulted in special movement focused body awareness, balance and coordination exercises for dogs: Movement Puzzles.
Every single dog has things they find challenging. And my super power is helping your dog overcome these challenges, build confidence and commitment for work.
You get to your goals faster. And your dog is safer, happier and more confident during the work and sport exercises!
Will you be joining Hélène, Kathryn and Mary as the next fan of movement focused exercises?
Hélène Lawler
Canada
Fenzi Dog Sports Academy instructor, Founder of Shaping Chaos and Dog Sport Scholars
USBCHA herding Open handler & coach
"My dogs and I are absolutely loving Movement Puzzles, which have become my new go-to for building foundations."
This unique skills-building program is so powerful that I believe it has the potential to completely change how we train our dogs for work and sport. Not only that, it SHOULD change how we train for work and sport.
Mari’s systematic program teaches both dog and handler the skills we need for performance excellence without danger of over-arousal (hallelujah!), all the while building confidence and developing excellence in communication.
Her step-by-step lessons are clear, easy to follow, and well organized. Her insights are paradigm shifting. Which, as a lover of rabbit holes, is my favourite part of working with Mari. But my dog is very grateful too! Particularly since the exercises allow her to tell me exactly where I need to improve, and how.
"Mari has a fresh approach to developing the underlying coordination and balance needed for dog sports...
... that dovetails beautifully with current training concepts such as loopy training, performing in flow, slow is the new fast, and forward focus. In a warm, engaging manner, she pulls together these bits and pieces into a cohesive whole. And my dogs love the exercises!"
Kathryn Kuhlen, USA
"Mari’s Movement Puzzle class was a surprising adventure into a new way of training and thinking."
I worked with my then 10-month old BC pup and my 5 year old field Labrador. It was enlightening to observe their balanced movement progress, development of body awareness for performance of the challenges, and mental acuity to solve the puzzles. My observation skills improved and I consequently became a more effective partner for them.
Mary Young, USA
INTRODUCING
BEYOND DOG SPORTS:
DOG WALK
Isn’t like any other canine fitness course you’ve taken!
...IT'S A 3 MODULE COURSE THAT WILL HELP YOU ...
speed up your dog walk training WITHOUT SACRIFICING YOUR DOG'S WELLBEING!
- You get the clarity to focus on the RIGHT things in your training - so that the body awareness, balance and coordination skills will carry over to running on the actual dog walk
- You get all the "step by step" instructions - so that you don't have to guess what and how to train AND you get results ASAP
- Lifetime access to the course content and Student Community - you will never again have to feel alone with your challenges!
- Individual 1:1 support (optional) - opportunity to upgrade inside the course to get 1:1 instructor support and guidance with any course related problem you may be facing
Which one of these will be YOUR success story?
Rita Annus & Zirka
Estonia
"Her foot placement got better, we started to get less misplaced feet and one day I realised it has been a long while since the last time she had a DW incident "
Zirka is a typical young „ride or die“ border collie, with little regard for her personal safety. It’s all about doing it all and doing it fast!
Hitting a target mat was never an issue, but as soon as we moved to a plank, oh boy was it clear that we will have some problems! Her focus was totally on hitting the target, the rest of the plank was just something on her way to get there.
When we moved to low dogwalk, she would often step off with one or more paws and no amount of falling off would „teach her“ – as this was one of the advices I got, that she would just eventually learn from these mistakes.
I was afraid of moving to higher dogwalk levels, afraid of having speedy approaches, having visions of her one day not managing these falls from misplaced feet.
Luckily we have Mari in our lives! We had been doing her fitness classes, and one day I mentioned in passing this problem we are encountering in RC training.
She came up with exercises that specifically target feet placement on narrow surfaces and somehow something clicked in Zirka’s brain. Her foot placement got better, we started to get less misplaced feet and one day I realised it has been a long while since the last time she had a DW incident.
Céline & PucheFrance
"If you want to learn how to help your dog to find balance in movement, to be aware of his paws, to be more independent in work, to be focus on his own body/movement and have more focus forward, then, TAKE THIS COURSE."
The course itself is easy to follow, step by step and it don't require too much stuff to buy, you can do it with things that you already have at home (unless you search some excuses to buy more stuff, as I did xD). So much fun with puzzles (you won't see this kind of exercises anywhere else).
I really loved this course and I will do these exercises with every dog that I'll have before beginning the dog walk itself, they are so much valuable ! Thanks Mari :)
WHAT YOU GET INSIDE
BEYOND DOG SPORTS: DOG WALK
Beyond Dog Sports: Dog Walk is a 3-module step-by-step online self-study course that helps you get a confident and fast dog walk performance with fewer repetitions on the actual dog walk
WITHOUT:
- overloading your dog's body with repetitions,
- asking your dog to run on the dog walk when he's clearly struggling
- sacrificing your dog's safety
- 24/7 LIFETIME access to all the course content and training videos, including all future content updates!
- Step by step instructions for over 30 dog walk specific exercises that takes all the guesswork out of your body awareness, balance and coordination training
- Troubleshooting guide with solutions to common training problems
- Detailed explanations of the exercises, how they link to real dog walk training and how to train them for best results
- Membership in a growing community of like minded dog walk trainers to support you and encourage you along the way!
MODULE 1
Must-Have Body Awareness Skills
- Discover how to use paw targets & improve body awareness, so that your dog WILL KNOW how to KEEP HIS PAWS ON the dogwalk
- The sneaky way to LEVEL UP your dog's BODY AWARENESS and PRECISION with movement loops
- The secret to cues: choose the RIGHT cues that your dog WILL ACTUALLY USE when running on the dog walk
MODULE 2
Master Balance During Movement
- Nail those tricky entry angles and handler movement distractions with these must-have balance exercises!
- How to set up exercises that will improve your dog's balance during movement
- What fitness trainers never tell you: My go-to solution for making sure your dog's "gym workouts" transfer to REAL LIFE SITUATIONS
MODULE 3
Activate Your Dog's Coordination
- Master running and adjusting gait on a narrow surface, so that your dog can hit the contact zone with ease!
- Learn the Movement Puzzle concept that will help you improve your dog's CONFIDENCE, OBSTACLE COMMITMENT, FOCUS, BALANCE and COORDINATION well beyond dogwalk training!
- Discover the MUST HAVE steps in Movement Puzzle training that link the exercises to running on the actual dogwalk
Who is this course for?
🙋♀️ Agility handlers with young dogs just starting their training & using this course to build a foundation for moving safely on the dog walk before any actual dog walk training
🙋🏼♂️ Seasoned agility enthusiast who are having trouble on the dog walk: misplacing paws off to the side, losing balance and falling off
🙋🏽♂️ Big dogs who are generally struggling with body awareness and for whom the dog walk is especially narrow and challenging
🙋🏾 Careful and sensitive dogs who find the dog walk and other new surfaces a bit scary and need a confidence boost
🙋🏼 Dogs recovering from an injury and returning to the sport to restore body awareness and balance for sport challenges. Only if cleared by a vet for returning to activities!
What is the investment of
Training the dog walk safely?
Like most dog sport enthusiasts (like me!) you could spend years learning how to train all these fitness exercises.
Eventually, after countless hours researching online and taking one online course after another, you will make progress. Are you willing to wait for that long?
Online courses start from around $65. The ideas for the concepts in Beyond Dog Sports: Dog Walk come from workshops that are $400 and above.
These courses may give you some exercises, but none of them will tell you how to use them for dog walk training.
So you will spend $530, if not more, on at least 3 separate courses teaching body awareness, balance and movement concepts for coordination training.
And you still won't have any idea how to set up the exercises so that they would transfer over to real dog walk training.
You can hire a coach 1:1. Common rate for 1:1 fitness coaching is $600/month. Most dogs need 1-2 months of targeted exercises. So you're looking at $600-1200+.
But there really aren't other coaches who teach movement focused exercises!
These options may work, but they are pricey and missing the benefits of working alongside like minded community, learning from and with other people with the same goal!
Not to mention wasting valuable time with your dog when trying to mix and match different courses...
If you're like me, you want to make huge leaps in your dog walk training without feeling like your dog is the only one struggling (he's not!).
The only logical solution is to take a specialized training with a community of other people working towards the same goals.
SPECIAL OFFER!!!
ENROLL IN BEYOND DOG SPORTS: DOG WALK TODAY
SINGLE INVESTMENT OF $297 ONLY $247
----------- OR -----------
USE A PAYMENT PLAN
For questions or help with your purchase send an email: mari@themovingcanine.com
My 100% Satisfaction 30 Day Guarantee…
I want you to be happy with this course and actually get results.
If this course isn't what you expected, if you don't find value in the content, or for any other reason whatsoever, simply email me at mari@themovingcanine.com for a full refund!
No Questions Asked!
PLUS!!! RECEIVE $406 IN ADDITIONAL BONUSES!
Training Planner
Know exactly what and when to train with this “tick the boxes” training planner in both, PDF and Google Sheets format
Value: $37 FREE
Feedback Vault
Get access to the feedback vault where you see the posts and my feedback to students who have upgraded to 1:1 work with me.
Value: $97 FREE
Quick Guide
Fast track through the course exercises to SOLVE THE #1 PROBLEM: your dog stepping off the side of the dogwalk on entry/exit
Value: $29 FREE
AND THESE SPECIAL OFFER BONUSES
Where Are My Paws?
Lifetime access to my body awareness course that will take your dog from shuffling on paw targets to moving with precision and KNOWING exactly where the paws are!
Value: $109 FREE
LIMITED TIME ONLY
Balance
MINI COURSE
A fast track training option that helps dogs improve their collection skills, keeping all 4 paws on the DW with tricky entries, and focus on the DW despite handler movement.
Value: $67 FREE
LIMITED TIME ONLY
Height
MINI COURSE
Helping dogs who are feeling uncomfortable with the height of the DW. Safely build your dog’s confidence on higher surfaces without worrying about hitting the contact zone.
Value: $67 FREE
LIMITED TIME ONLY
So, Let's Recap!
When you join Beyond Dog Sports: Dog Walk self-study you get instant access to the 3 training modules -- videos and exercises that finally will help you get out of your dog walk struggle and get a confident, fast and precise dog walk performance. (Value $297)
- PLUS! Plan your training sessions with ease with a tailored "tick the boxes" Training Planner (Value $37)
- Learn from other students and my feedback and instructions to them in the Feedback Vault (Value $97)
- Tackle the #1 problem of misplacing a paw off to the side ASAP with my Special Quick Guide (Value $29)
Plus these amazing Special Offer bonuses
- Where Are My Paws? self study body awareness course so that your dog KNOWS where to place his paws on the DW (Value $109)
- Balance MINI COURSE to give you a fast track training option to nail those tricky DW entries AND collection skills (Value $67)
- Height MINI COURSE to help your dog become confident and happy moving on higher surfaces. SAFELY. (Value $67)
That's over $700 in course value for ONLY $247
IT'S TIME TO MAKE ONE OF TWO CHOICES
Choice #1:
Do Nothing
As you already know, if you do nothing... then nothing changes. You can keep working on your dog's dog walk performance but the progress will be just as slow as it has been until now. Plus, if your dog falls off frequently, then it will be a serious injury risk.
Choice #2:
Get results NOW
If you know that you want to FINALLY get a confident and fast dog walk performance, SAFELY... And you want to see your dog facing the dog walk with enthusiasm while also moving with awareness, balance and precision, then the choice is obvious!
Simply click the button below and your new supportive Beyond Dog Sports: Dog Walk community and I will be waiting for you on the inside to make these goals real!
SPECIAL OFFER!!!
ENROLL IN BEYOND DOG SPORTS: DOG WALK TODAY
SINGLE INVESTMENT OF $297 ONLY $247
----------- OR -----------
USE A PAYMENT PLAN
For questions or help with your purchase send an email: mari@themovingcanine.com
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
When does the course start?
There's no fixed start date for this course. You will get full access to all the contents and the community as soon as you join, so you can start working on the exercises and start getting results straight away!
How long will this course take me?
It will all depend on you 🙂 The exercises are planned for 8 weeks, assuming that you can do the exercises 3-4 times per week. But you are free to work at your own pace (you do have lifetime access to the course contents!). Most students start seeing results within the first month of doing these exercises.
From what age is this course suitable?
This course is suitable for dogs from 8 months old. It's best to wait until your dog is 1 year old, but if you are planning to start dogwalk training earlier, then take this course also earlier.
What equipment will I need for this course?
- 2 bowls, 2-3 cones
- platforms/steps, best to have them similar to dog walk’s width (30 cm/ 1 ft) and around 10 cm/4 inches tall (lower for small dogs). You can work with just 1 platform, but it would be good to have several at hand. Human step platforms and Cato boards are perfect.
- At least 1 balance disc/unstable surface. Balance discs with bases or Propel Air Platform are the perfect. The disc/platform should not roll or slide under your dog.
- Optional: 2 or more cavaletti poles + cones, 30cm/1ft wide long board
How much space do I need for the exercises?
Recommended area of 4x 6 meters/13x 20 feet, however you can also make it with half of that size. Make sure the surface is non-slippery!
What level of feedback is included in this course?
Beyond Dog Sports: Dog Walk course comes with a private Facebook community where you can post your videos and questions for peer feedback. It is possible to upgrade inside the course to get 1:1 instructor feedback.
Will I have running contacts by the end of this course?
This course will give your dogs the essential body awareness, balance and coordination skills to learn running contacts fast, with fewer repetitions. It will also give your dog the confidence to move on the dogwalk with speed. Teaching running contacts will be easier for your dog after finishing this course, but is not covered in this course.
Will this course work for both running and stopped contacts?
Yes, this course will improve your dog's confidence, body awareness, balance and coordination for both, stopped and running contacts.
I'm so bad at filming myself and posting videos of my training. Will I have to do it in this course?
Only if you want to 🙂 You can post your videos for peer feedback in the Facebook group, but there is no requirement to post your videos for the course to work and give you results. In fact, most students say the course instruction videos and guides are so clear and so easily understandable that they can easily train on their own, without posting training videos.
I've bought online courses in the past and didn't really work through them. I'm worried that online training just doesn't work for me.
It is true that working through online courses is different to in person classes. But... I know you are committed to being the best possible trainer for your dog and doing the very best you can to help him be safe in your sport. To me, this kind of dedication says that you can definitely be successful at getting the most out of online courses!
To make things easier for you, I've added a weekly training planner to this course, where you can schedule your training sessions and tick the boxes once the exercises are done.
Plus! We have a whole community of kind & supportive people to be by your side on this journey - to motivate and inspire you! It will be difficult NOT TO do the exercises when you see everyone around you working on the same things and having fun!
What platform is the course using for content?
The course content is hosted on an online course platform called New Zenler. The course community is a private group on Facebook. 1:1 work (the Feedback Vault) is carried out on a platform called Circle.
If you are not a Facebook user, you can access all the course content and exercise instructions + you can access the Feedback Vault where you can see 1:1 student posts and my feedback to them.
SPECIAL OFFER!!!
ENROLL IN BEYOND DOG SPORTS: DOG WALK TODAY
SINGLE INVESTMENT OF $297 ONLY $247
----------- OR -----------
USE A PAYMENT PLAN
For questions or help with your purchase send an email: mari@themovingcanine.com